Elden Ring, but with Wind Spirit Moon Shadow

Chapter 504 Blood Boiling
Standing before the golden tree, Montgomery's ominous body, stripped of its disguise, appeared particularly ferocious in the sunlight, yet it also exuded a tragic and majestic aura.

He slowly raised his left arm, and the power of the Golden Tree gathered in his palm, its dazzling light flowing like molten gold.

With a forceful grip, a massive spear formed from pure golden energy suddenly materialized.

"Sun King—witness the final glory of the Golden Tree!"

With a low shout, he hurled the weapon.

The gun streaked through the air, accompanied by a whooshing sound, and hurtled towards Bai Shi.

The long spear sliced ​​across the sky, as if signaling the start of war, and the warriors behind Montgomery immediately charged forward.

The loyal warriors surrounding Bai Shi, without needing any orders, left the battlefield for the two kings and then charged into battle in the same manner, seeking their own opponents.
-

Bai Shi looked at the spear flying towards him and felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity, which made him feel quite emotional.

His first battle with Montgomery took place on the bridge leading to Stoneville.

As an ominous demon, Montgomery's clone also used this technique, condensing a weapon with the power of the golden tree.

Even a clone with a weak power was a formidable enemy for Bai Shi at that time.

That seemingly ordinary battle at the beginning actually set the stage for an epic epic.

But now... to Bai Shi, the speeding spear seemed to have been paused, moving at a slower pace.

Bai Shi couldn't help but shake his head, after all, the difference in strength was already enormous.

Even though Montgomery is among the top demigods, he is still a bit short of being a king.

Seeing the spear finally approaching, Bai Shi finally made his move.

Although Bai Shi could easily kill Meng Ge Te with a single move, he decided to give him the highest level of respect.

For a king, there is nothing more humiliating than being easily crushed and defeated in front of his people.

Bai Shi would do his best to make this unequal battle more exciting, even if it was just on the surface.

Bai Shi's eyes sharpened, and with a light touch of his toes on the ground, he leaped into the air as if by teleportation.

The spear swept past his feet, slamming heavily into the ground and exploding into a dazzling golden flame.

What awaited Bai Shi in the air was the cursed sword that was about to strike him down.

Long before Bai Shi leaped up, Meng Ge had already taken to the air, as if he had foreseen Bai Shi's move.

With both hands gripping his sword, Montgomery slashed down from the sky. Even before the blade arrived, the sharp sword intent and determination he exuded made Bai Shi feel a sense of keenness.

A dazzling, scorching light burst forth from Bai Shi's palm as he raised his arm to collide with the cursed sword.

"--clang!"

The moment the two forces collided, a blinding light rippled outwards, and energy swept across the battlefield like ripples.

The sounds of gunfire echoed throughout the royal city, making the already heated battlefield even more intense.

Seeing his cursed sword easily blocked, Montgomery was not surprised, but became even more engrossed in the battle.

He made a grasping motion with his left hand, and the power of the Golden Tree surged once more, causing a giant golden hammer to appear out of thin air and sweep towards Bai Shi's waist and abdomen.

Behind that powerful strike, Montgomery's right hand wielded the cursed sword with stealth, deftly stabbing towards Bai Shi's throat like a venomous snake.

It was clearly the same person launching the attack, yet they were using completely different weapons and displaying entirely different martial arts techniques.

Bai Shi grinned, his hands forming fists in the air, and two weapons appeared in his hands.

Montgomery isn't the only one who uses this fighting style.

The Dark Moon Greatsword, radiating a chilling aura, blocked the giant hammer's attack. The dark moonlight shone on the sword, instantly freezing the illusory weapon into golden fragments.

In Bai Shi's left hand, a short sword wreathed in golden flames clashed with its tip precisely against Meng Ge Te's cursed sword.

Bai Shi felt the force from the sword and a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes.

Montgomery's swordsmanship was devoid of any frills; each strike was a testament to his honed skills, the culmination of countless hours of solitary sword practice in the darkness.

He has never slackened in his cultivation over the years, all for the sake of protecting the Golden Tree on this day.

Bai Shi stepped forward, wielding his two weapons with unpredictable sword techniques, like surging waves.

Montgomery kept responding to Bai Shi's moves, but the pressure Bai Shi exerted on him was immense, and he was already sweating profusely.

Just then, a figure identical to Montgomery suddenly attacked from the flank.

'Imitation Teardrop' Lopez transformed into the form of Montgomery, and the golden greatsword that materialized in her hand pierced through the air with a whooshing sound, aiming for Bai Shi's back.

In exchange for the Tearful Holy Grail, they would fight against the White Consciousness together—this was the cooperation they had agreed upon long ago.

The greatsword swung through the air, intending to disrupt Bai Shi's offensive and give Meng Ge Te a chance to catch his breath.

However, Bai Shi didn't turn around at all, and just continued to suppress Meng Ge Te on his own.

Lopez was puzzled, but he did not stop until a figure intercepted the greatsword's advance like a streak of light.

Ashmi stood quietly behind Bai Shi, and with a flick of his finger, he easily stopped the greatsword, preventing it from advancing even an inch further.

Looking at Lopez across from him, Ashmi's eyes flashed with surprise as he realized that the person in front of him was also one of his kind.

Although Ashmi wanted to have a friendly conversation with him, now was clearly not the time.

Ashmi coughed twice and solemnly addressed Lopez in front of him:

"I am your enemy, and I will not let you interfere with the battle for honor."

Lopez felt the immense force emanating from the blade and a chill ran down his spine.

He had already recognized Ashmi in front of him as a replica teardrop, which also originated from the Knox dynasty.

And now that she is imitating Bai Shi, she has such power that even if she and Meng Gete were tied together, they would be completely unable to resist her.

Clearly, Bai Shi held back to an extreme degree during his battle with Meng Ge Te.

Realizing this, Lopez was no longer worried about Montgomery's safety.

Bai Shi clearly possesses the ability to instantly kill Meng Ge Te, yet he is currently suppressing his strength in every move, indicating he has no intention of killing.

So Lopez looked at Ashmi before him, feeling her perfect, tear-like body, and slowly spoke:
"Have you completed the core of the teardrop? I really envy you..."

Do you know what I've been through to get to where I am today?

"To gain my current power, I endured such a long and arduous struggle before finally finding the Teardrop Grail..."

"And you? You were special from the moment you were born, and now your core has been completely filled with the Holy Grail..."

"What have you sacrificed in pursuit of this power?"

Ashmi tilted his head, shook his head in confusion, and didn't understand the meaning of what Lopez was saying at this moment.

"I don't know. The host told me to give me the Holy Grail, so I followed him."

Hearing Ashmi's reply, Lopez felt incredibly frustrated, as if he had punched a pillow. If the other person had said that on purpose to annoy him, that would be one thing, but based on his interaction with someone of the same kind, he was certain that everything the other person said was true.

As she said, Ashmi gained everything after following a good host.

Lopez now truly understands what it means for choice to be more important than effort...

Lopez gritted his teeth and transformed from his Montgomery appearance into a warrior form never before seen by the world.

He almost completely replicated Montgomery's power and fought in his most familiar posture, all in order to unleash his full potential.

The exquisite sword techniques originating from the Knox dynasty were unleashed continuously, each strike carrying a sharp killing intent, aimed directly at Ashmi.

However, Ashmi took out Aprilia, and with the double-headed sword flying nimbly, he easily blocked all of Lopez's attacks.

His martial arts skills were so superb that they completely surpassed those of Lopez, who had fought life-and-death battles for thousands of years.

As Ashmi twirled Apalia's sword in a flurry of movements, a fighting spirit gradually ignited in his eyes. With a gentle smile, he spoke:
"Although I don't know what you've been through, I've been in every fight I've ever been in."

"I will completely imitate your power and compete with you fair and square."

"If you think you can do better, and are more worthy of the Holy Grail's power than I am, then prove it to me..."

Lopez realized that Ashmi had indeed suppressed his power, so he stopped talking and calmly swung his sword again.

Two lifelike teardrops brandished their swords, opening up another battlefield.
-

Bai Shi swung his sword, and the moonlight of the Dark Moon Greatsword shattered Mengget's parry, sending him flying and slashing out a deep wound.

Montgomery slowly rose to his feet, his cursed sword deeply embedded in the ground, supporting his swaying body.

Dark red cursed blood seeped from the wound, dripping down the twisted blade and hissing white smoke as it burned in the glow of the golden tree.

His breathing had become heavy and disordered. The sunlight shone in front of him, and the ominous horn cast a hideous shadow on his violently heaving chest.

Bai Shi did not pursue Menggete any further, but stood a few steps away and watched him quietly.

He only used sword techniques and physical strength, without even using his strongest prayers and magic in his current state.

However, the difference in strength was too great, and even with all his might, Menggete could not withstand Bai Shi's offensive.

However, at least to outsiders, Montgomery's defeat did not seem so tragic.

Just as Bai Shi was about to end the battle, Meng Ge Te's expression suddenly turned extremely painful, clutching his chest as if something was spreading within him.

Bai Shi was taken aback at first, but then immediately understood.

It must be because of his serious injuries that the power within Montgomery's body has become unbalanced, and the cursed blood that he has been deliberately suppressing has begun to surge.

Montgomery clenched his teeth, his body even convulsing from suppressing the cursed blood.

Seeing this, Bai Shi sighed slightly and said to Menggete:

"You no longer need to suppress your cursed blood."

"That is your innate power, and it is not the ominous power that was said to exist during the Golden Tree era."

"That blessing from the furnace of life is proof that you share the same bloodline as the War King."

Bai Shi slowly stepped forward and continued speaking:
"Whether you use this power or not, you are yourself."

"If you want to grow, accept all of this and face your true self."

After listening to Bai Shi's words, Meng Gete closed his eyes, seemingly deep in thought.

In a short while, cursed blood ignited around Mongot, and he no longer resisted the ominous power within his body—no, it should be said to be the power of the furnace.

And so, the cursed blood boiled.

A torrent of golden-red liquid gushed from Montgomery's wound, transforming into blazing furnace fire the instant it touched the air, sweeping wildly in all directions.

With a violent coughing fit, the power of the life furnace was completely unsealed, and even gushed out from the surrounding land.

The cursed blood no longer brought pain to Montgomery; instead, it washed over his entire body like nectar.

Montgomery looked down at his sword blade, which was burning with the flames of the furnace, and finally made complete peace with himself.

After slowly rising to his feet, Montgomery brandished his cursed sword and launched another swift attack on Bai Shi.

Montgomery stroked his sword with his left hand, and the golden-red furnace flames on the blade gradually turned into a blood-red color, covering it with the cursed blood that accompanied him.

As the sword was completely covered in blood flames, Montgert suddenly swung the cursed sword, and a dark red sword light tore through the air, slashing towards Bai Shi.

Bai Shi easily dodged the sword light by sidestepping, but the sword light did not dissipate; instead, it froze in mid-air, like a suspended crescent moon of blood.

The sword light suddenly exploded in front of Bai Shi, and the blood flames devoured the surroundings like the maw of a giant beast, blasting scorched cracks into the ground.

Seeing that this was exactly the same cursed blood slash as Meng Ge's, Bai Shi couldn't help but sigh that they truly deserved to be brothers.

Although their personalities and thoughts are completely opposite, they share the same power.

Montgomery's swordplay changed again, he spun around and slashed back, and a wider range of blood flames swept across the battlefield.

The massive crimson sword lights intertwined, blocking Bai Shi's retreat, before violently exploding, flames shooting into the sky and turning the battlefield into a sea of ​​fire.

However, as the smoke and dust cleared, Bai Shi's figure transformed into a streak of light and rushed forward, arriving at Menggete's side in an instant.

This time, Bai Shi did not stop. Golden flames ignited on his short sword, and a golden blade of light slashed out.

The golden blade shattered Montgomery's defenses in an instant, severely injuring him once again.

Montgomery retreated, panting, the golden-red furnace power spreading throughout his body.

He looked up at the sky, where the golden tree's branches and leaves withered and fell continuously in the sunlight.

Montgomery raised his left hand, and a broken sword materialized, bursting forth with dazzling golden light.

The sky above the battlefield suddenly darkened—as countless, even more dazzling golden points of light emerged like stars, coalescing into thousands of sword blades.

With a smile on his face, Montgomery proudly puffed out his chest for the first time and shouted to Bai Shi:

"This final blow... is dedicated to the Golden Tree, and to you as well."

As Montgomery swung his left-hand sword down heavily, the blades poured down like a golden rain, each carrying a resolute will.

Bai Shi looked up, a smile playing on his lips.

He was extremely familiar with this move, which left a deep impression on him.

"That's true."

Bai Shi spread his arms wide, and the blazing white light shone like the sun.

The rain of swords collided with the blazing sun, creating a continuous roar that shook the entire Asian Plateau.

When the golden light of the final sword rain faded, only Montgomery remained kneeling in the smoke and dust, his cursed sword stuck in the scorched earth, the flames gradually dying down.

(End of this chapter)